The Discovery Channel Unplugged
by forensicsfan
Summary: Nick sees a documentary on Tamales Bay and mentions it to Sara. This leads to a little bit of a field trip.
1. The Discovery Channel

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them, but as always, coffee with George would be nice.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, Sara, I saw this program on the Discovery Channel this afternoon." Nick began as they processed a car that they suspected was involved in a homicide they were investigating.  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me? What was it, 'Wild World of Birds'?" Sara's sarcastic quip came out a bit too harshly.  
  
Nick glanced up at her with a hurt expression on his face. "No, it was on Tamales Bay and I thought you might be interested in it." He turned his attention back to the floor mats he was processing.  
  
Sara knew her tone had been sharp and abrasive and she felt regretful as she watched the face of her friend as he put a drop of phenolphthalein on a swab he'd just run across the floor mat to check for traces of blood. "Nick?"  
  
Without glancing up, he responded with a guarded tone in his voice. "Yeah."  
  
Sara furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry."  
  
He glanced up at her, his expression still cautious. "Thanks."  
  
As he turned his attention back to the car Sara was frustrated that he seemed intent on ending the conversation. She began to sort through the contents of the glove box, finding the silence between them unsettling. "Nick?"  
  
"You got something?" Nick glanced up curiously.  
  
A sheepish expression crossed Sara's face. "I really am sorry."  
  
Nick exhaled audibly and turned his attention to the car again. "You said that." He leaned further into the car to check the fabric of the backseat for traces of blood.  
  
His reaction perplexed her. Nick normally let things roll right off of his back and perhaps that's why they all teased him about his obsession with the Discovery Channel. She seemed to have truly offended him and she didn't want to continue working in silence until they'd cleared the air. "What's going on?"  
  
Nick's head snapped up as her voice broke the silence. "What?"  
  
She had an expression that was a mixture of confusion and irritation. "Why are you so pissed off just because I teased you about the Discovery Channel?"  
  
Nick closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. He took a couple of deep breaths as he considered his words. His brows were furrowed as he answered Sara's questions. "Look, Sara, I know that everyone thinks that I watch too much TV and y'all love to tease me about that, but sometimes I get really tired of being the butt of everyone's jokes. All I was trying to do was start a conversation because I thought I had something to say that I thought you'd find interesting and you practically bit my head off."  
  
"I really am sorry." Her words seemed to fall flat as she considered all of the times she and the rest of the team had sold him short, and because he was so good natured, he was indeed often the butt of their jokes.  
  
They worked in silence for quite a while. Nick was intent on getting any trace evidence from the car and his full concentration was on the fabric of the seat looking for any stray hair or fiber that might offer them a clue.  
  
Sara felt distracted as she worked on the front seats of the car. Nick had been a good friend to her since she'd moved to Vegas. Of everyone on the nightshift crew, he was the first one besides Grissom that had made her feel welcome, and he had served to offer her a healthy amount of competition when they worked a scene. She really did feel badly that she'd offended him. She glanced back at him as he held a fiber in a pair of tweezers trying to locate a bindle in the pocket of his coveralls. She pulled a bindle out of her own pocket and held it back to him. "So, Tamales Bay, huh?"  
  
He glanced up and graciously accepted the bindle. A smile began to spread across his face. If there was one really great quality about Nick it was that he didn't hold a grudge for long. "Yeah, it looks really beautiful."  
  
Sara smiled. "It is. In fact this time of year there might still be some elephant seals around and the migration of the grey whales has probably started."  
  
His smile widened into a grin. "Is it true that 45 percent of the bird species in North America have been sighted there?"  
  
Sara couldn't help but laugh. "Probably but there's a lot more to do up there than look at birds."  
  
Nick smirked. "What did you do when you lived there?"  
  
"Kayaking." She smiled at him. "Have you ever tried it?"  
  
Nick shook his head. "Can't say that I have."  
  
"It's pretty incredible, especially when you're surrounded by whales." Sara couldn't help but smile at the memory.  
  
Both of Nick's eyebrows arched upward. "You've kayaked with whales?"  
  
Sara smirked. "Not on purpose, but it was pretty amazing."  
  
"That sounds cool." Nick glanced at his watch. "Hey, are you done up there because I think this is the cleanest car I've ever seen." His smile was a bit smug.  
  
Sara nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to find much more up here."  
  
Nick had a conspiratorial smile. "Well shift is over and this car isn't going anywhere. Do you want to grab some breakfast and tell me more about Tamales Bay?"  
  
She chuckled. "Only if you're buying."  
  
He grinned. "You're on."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Nick popped a piece of bacon into his mouth and looked at Sara expectantly.  
  
She shook her head and chuckled. "I'm serious. Everyone calls it Nick's Cove and it's just a little bit north of where my parent's bed and breakfast is." She took another bite of her omelet and smiled.  
  
"Now that's something I've got to see someday." Nick grinned.  
  
Sara picked up her cup of coffee and cradled it in her hands for a moment as she looked at Nick over the table of the booth. "You could come up there with me sometime."  
  
He tilted his head and considered her words as he watched her lift the cup of coffee to her lips. "That sounds like fun. When do you want to go?"  
  
Sara swallowed the coffee and set her cup down and studied him for a moment. "You'd really want to go?"  
  
He speared a sausage link as it tried to roll across his plate and nodded. "Sure, it sounds like fun, and what better way to see it than with someone who knows what to see?"  
  
Sara smiled. "Well, I suppose we should start by seeing if Grissom will let us both have the time off."  
  
"No problem." Nick replied confidently. "Greg's been begging to get out in the field and I think Collins from days wanted to pick up a few extra shifts." He furrowed his brow. "It was Collins wasn't it?"  
  
Sara shook her head with a smirk. "No, I think it was Cahill."  
  
"Yeah, you're right, it was Cahill." Nick grinned.  
  
"Well, let's start with trying to get time off and then I'll call my parents." Sara teased.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, Sara, I found some great cheap fares to Frisco." Nick walked into the break room where Sara was standing next to Warrick sipping a cup of coffee.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "Nick, no one who lives there really calls it Frisco."  
  
Warrick chuckled. "Are you sure you really want to take a vacation with this yahoo?"  
  
Sara smirked. "Sure, I think it'll be fun."  
  
Nick grinned. "I am fun." He glanced at Warrick. "You're just jealous that you have to stay here and train Sanders."  
  
"Well the only reason Grissom let you two have the time off is because he needed the best CSI to train him." Warrick quipped as Greg walked in the door.  
  
Greg brightened at Warrick's comment. "Catherine's training me?"  
  
"No, you've got me." Warrick responded dryly.  
  
Nick couldn't help but laugh as he glanced over at Sara. 


	2. If I Told You, I'd Have To Kill You

Sara glanced over at Nick as she fastened her seatbelt. They were eleven rows back on United flight 1504 from Las Vegas to San Francisco and the flight crew of the Airbus 320 had begun their preflight safety demonstration. Sara closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.  
  
Nick glanced at her curiously from his aisle seat. "Is there something I should know? That was a pretty heavy sigh."  
  
She opened her eyes and a wry smile formed on her lips. "I haven't been home in a while and I'm sure that my mom especially is going to want to give me the third degree."  
  
Nick chuckled softly. "My mom's the same way."  
  
Sara studied him for a moment before she continued. "I might as well warn you that my parents are a little strange."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow and tried to keep his expression serious. "Stranger than you?"  
  
She narrowed her gaze at him and swatted at his arm. "They used to be hippies."  
  
Nick chuckled. "And you went to Harvard."  
  
Sara looked at him with a smug expression. "They just have never understood my fascination with science and they think I work too much."  
  
"You do." Nick agreed.  
  
Sara smirked. "Thanks for the support."  
  
"It's true, Sara. You max out on overtime every month and even on your days off you usually end up at work. They have a point." Nick glanced up as the flight attendant walked by and pointed out that he hadn't fastened his seatbelt for takeoff.  
  
Sara tried not to laugh at him as he fastened his seatbelt. She leaned over and whispered conspiratorially. "I bet you did that just so you could flirt with her."  
  
Nick looked slightly embarrassed and whispered back. "She's not my type."  
  
Sara raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Then what is your type?"  
  
Nick looked smug. "Well for starters, I don't date women who are married."  
  
Sara looked at him for a moment a bit startled and then started laughing. "Ok, so besides not being married, what criteria is Nick Stokes looking for in a woman?"  
  
"Since when are you so interested in my love life, Sara?" Nick was amused at Sara's teasing, but he also felt that he was more than capable of finding someone on his own.  
  
"Well, I just find it curious that in all the time I've known you, you've never had a long term girlfriend." Sara replied in all seriousness.  
  
Nick was almost embarrassed at her comment. "Well, I could say the same for you."  
  
Sara smirked. "I'm not really into girls, Nick, and don't forget Hank."  
  
Nick chuckled softly. "Ok, but I thought you said you and Hank weren't 'dating', that you just went to movies."  
  
Sara started to feel a little uncomfortable. "We weren't, not really, I mean it's not like we ever." Sara cleared her throat and smirked at him. "How did we get on this topic of conversation anyway?"  
  
Nick raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I believe you brought it up."  
  
Her lips were pressed together in an effort not to smile. "Fine, let's change the subject then. What do you want to do in Tamales Bay?"  
  
Nick laughed. "You're the tour guide; I'm at your mercy."  
  
Sara leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes as a smile spread across her face. "I think we should start with a piece of my mom's quiche, it's to die for."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara glanced over at Nick as they loaded their luggage into the rental car. "Do you want to see any of San Francisco before we head up to Tamales Bay?"  
  
He smiled softly. "Do you think we could see the Golden Gate Bridge? My mom asked me to send her a picture of me standing in front of it."  
  
Sara had to swallow the first quip that came to mind as a smile spread across her lips. "Sure."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "What? You were gonna say something about me being a mama's boy or something, weren't you?"  
  
Sara pursed her lips together in an effort not to laugh at his ability to read her mind. "I just think that it's sweet that you would do something like that for her. You must be very close." Her expression clearly expressed that he'd hit the nail on the head.  
  
He smirked at her. "We are close."  
  
"You sure you don't want to send her a picture of you on a cable car too?" Sara teased.  
  
"Now that you mention it." Nick teased in response.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wow, this is really beautiful." Nick couldn't get over how beautiful the scenery was as they drove north of San Francisco. They had stopped briefly so that Sara could take Nick's picture with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Some other tourists offered to take their picture together and Nick waved Sara over, casually slinging his arm around her shoulder and grinning as the shot was snapped.  
  
Sara smiled at him as she drove toward Tamales Bay. "It is beautiful isn't it? I sometimes forget how lush it looks compared to the desert."  
  
"How far are we from your parent's place?" He queried.  
  
"About another half hour." Sara already looked more relaxed than she had when they'd left Las Vegas.  
  
"So tell me about what it was like to grow up in a bed and breakfast." Nick adjusted the sun visor in the car.  
  
"I didn't actually grow up in the bed and breakfast; it's a series of cottages on the property they own. They have their own house." She smiled.  
  
"You didn't answer the question." Nick observed with an amused smile.  
  
She chuckled softly. "Ok. Well, it was busy. I was free labor until I hit high school and then everything I earned went to pay for college."  
  
"So even in high school you didn't get out much." Nick observed.  
  
She smirked. "In a small town like Marshall, there's not much to get out and do as you put it, and besides, being a science geek didn't exactly land me in with the popular kids anyway."  
  
Nick studied her for a moment and a smile spread across his face. "That explains a lot about you."  
  
Sara looked at him skeptically. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Nothing bad. It's just that the combination of you being a smart beautiful woman in a small town probably intimidated people." His expression was reassuring.  
  
"Thanks." She scrunched her nose up. "I think."  
  
Nick chuckled. "Sara, I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot about you this week."  
  
She grimaced for a moment to Nick's amusement and then smirked at him. "If my mom tells you any embarrassing stories you are sworn to secrecy."  
  
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "Do you have any embarrassing stories?"  
  
She tried to restrain her smile. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." 


	3. Meet the Parents

Sara pulled the car up in front of her parent's house fully expecting them to be busy helping one of the guests in their bed and breakfast. As she and Nick unloaded the luggage from the trunk she was pleasantly surprised when her parents emerged from the house. They'd been making lunch and had heard the tires crunching on the gravel driveway.  
  
Nick watched Sara with interest as a smile spread over her face at seeing her parents. They swept her up into a flurry of hugs and smiles and after a moment they turned their attention to Nick as Sara gestured towards him. "Mom and Dad this is my friend Nick Stokes."  
  
Nick extended his hand with a grin on his face as Sara's dad shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."  
  
Sara's dad glanced over at her with a hint of amusement on his face before he looked Nick in the eye. "Just call me Rick. We're not that formal here."  
  
Nick chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Rick."  
  
Sara's mom kept glancing between Nick and Sara, a smile spreading across her face. "Nick, I'm Helen." She glanced over at Sara for a moment with a knowing smile before looking at Nick again. "Sara didn't say that her friend was so good looking." Sara's mom was a mirror image of Sara herself, just an older version.  
  
Nick glanced over at Sara for a moment; she was doing her best to keep a smile pasted on her face but her expression clearly indicated that she wanted to bolt. He turned his attention back to her mom and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Helen."  
  
"We're just going to get settled and then I think Nick wanted to go rent kayaks." Sara clearly wanted to get him away from her parents before they said something that would embarrass her.  
  
Rick interjected. "Sara, honey, you don't need to rent kayaks. We bought several kayaks and canoes a few months ago to have around for the guests. You can use a couple of those."  
  
Nick was amused. "Hey, Sar, I thought you said you were dying for a piece of your mom's quiche."  
  
Sara shot him a feigned smile and the look in her eye clearly told him that he would be getting an earful later.  
  
"Honey, why don't you two get settled and then we can have some lunch." Helen suggested.  
  
"Ok." Sara relented with a deep sigh.  
  
Her dad smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. "It's good to have my girl home."  
  
"Thanks, Dad." Sara smiled as she leaned against her dad for a moment.  
  
Rick gave her one last squeeze before he stepped away and picked up a couple of the bags by the car.  
  
Sara reached for her suitcase and glanced up a little surprised as Nick beat her to it.  
  
"I got it." He smiled at her and gave her a friendly wink.  
  
"Nick, I can carry my own suitcase." She rolled her eyes at him slightly as she tried to restrain an embarrassed smile.  
  
"I know." He chuckled in amusement as he lifted his suitcase and hers and followed her dad into the house.  
  
"He seems very nice." Helen's tone was conspiratorial as she put her arm around Sara's waist clearly implying that she thought Nick would make more than just a nice friend.  
  
Sara stiffened slightly and her voice was a bit defensive. "Mom, Nick and I are just friends."  
  
"You say that now, baby, but he doesn't look at you the way a man who's just your friend does." Helen said knowingly as she and Sara made their way into the house.  
  
Sara began to wonder to herself if bringing Nick home with her had really been such a good idea.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick and Sara were taking a walk around the 50 acres that the bed and breakfast was built on. By the end of lunch, Sara had been ready to bolt, and Nick had smiled and suggested that she show him around. With a grin pasted on her face she readily agreed.  
  
He glanced over at her as they walked. "Your parents seem nice."  
  
Sara looked at him with disbelief. "You mean weird."  
  
Nick chuckled. "Why? Just because they used to be hippies and went to Woodstock? I think it's pretty cool that they met at a Grateful Dead concert."  
  
She smirked at him. "You would think that's cool, especially since you said your parents met in college."  
  
"Law school actually." Nick smiled. "Sara, if you met my parents you'd think they were normal and I'd be the one wanting to get outside. I think your parents just seem curious about your life."  
  
"Nosey would be a more descriptive word I think." Sara replied wryly.  
  
Nick laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into a friendly hug. "Why wouldn't you want them to know about your life? They're your family."  
  
Sara smirked at him as he let her go. "Nick, when I tell them what's going on in my life, all they seem to do is criticize. They never understood why I wanted to study physics or go to Harvard and my becoming a criminalist really threw them off."  
  
"So you think they don't get you." Nick clarified.  
  
Sara nodded. "They don't get me at all. I have more in common with my grandparents than I do with them or most anyone else in this area, which if you hadn't noticed isn't all that heavily populated."  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think my family gets me either. Why do you think all of them live in the Dallas area and I live in Vegas?" Nick elbowed her with a smile.  
  
"I wondered about that." Sara replied in amusement.  
  
"Let's just say that as the youngest of seven it's hard to make people see you as your own person, especially when your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender." Nick confessed.  
  
Sara's jaw dropped slightly and her eyebrows curved upward. "Your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender?"  
  
Nick nodded. "Yeah."  
  
Sara just shook her head in disbelief. "How did I not know that about you?"  
  
Nick looked at her with a sheepish expression. "Probably because I never told you." He let out a sigh and smiled at her. "Sara, when I lived in Texas I was always someone's son or brother or the youngest member of the Stokes' clan. I was never just Nick. Don't get me wrong; I love my family, but in Vegas people know me for who I am, not where I came from."  
  
"That wasn't a criticism; I'm just surprised that's all. I think all of us have a secret or two." She smiled back at him.  
  
They continued walking back towards the house. He glanced over at her with a mischievous smile. "So, Sara, what secrets are you hiding?"  
  
She raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" 


	4. Mortification

"You know when you told me that your parent's bed and breakfast was a series of cabins I didn't envision this." Nick gestured toward the guest lodge that stood in the middle of the property about 200 feet from Rick and Helen's house. In addition to the lodge which had six guest rooms, there were several other cabins scattered around the property and nearly all of them had sweeping views of Tamales Bay.  
  
Sara chuckled. "Well you only asked me if I lived in the bed and breakfast, you didn't ask me to describe it. I just thought I'd let you see if for yourself."  
  
They walked up the steps and back into the house. The sounds of someone singing softly could be heard from the kitchen. Nick glanced over at Sara and a smile spread across his face. "I can see where you get your singing voice from."  
  
Sara smirked. "She sounds a lot better than I do."  
  
"Don't sell yourself short. I like your voice." Nick replied with sincerity.  
  
Not sure what to say, Sara made her way into the kitchen with Nick right behind her.  
  
Helen glanced up and smiled. "Did you have a nice walk?" There was a hint of mischief in her expression.  
  
"You and Rick have quite a place here." Nick commented. "No wonder you don't get to Vegas often to visit Sara."  
  
Helen glanced at Sara then whispered conspiratorially to Nick. "She's afraid we'd embarrass her if we came to visit too often."  
  
Sara's eyebrows shot up in protest. "That is not true. You and Dad are always talking about how busy you are and I don't get much time off of work, so it just doesn't work out very often."  
  
Nick looked at Sara skeptically. "Sara, you could take time off of work. You've got plenty of vacation saved up."  
  
Helen looked at Nick with amusement at how he wasn't afraid to call Sara on the carpet.  
  
Sara glanced at Nick and narrowed her gaze at him. "We have a pretty heavy caseload most of the time."  
  
"And you come in on your day off most of the time." Nick continued.  
  
"And most of the time, I get paged to come in." Sara retorted.  
  
"Because you're sitting at home listening to your police scanner." Nick raised an eyebrow in challenge.  
  
"We're public servants." Sara barbed. "We have to be on call."  
  
Nick wasn't buying it. "Sara, you deserve a life outside of law enforcement and I know for a fact that Grissom has said as much to you on numerous occasions. Why do you think he let us have the time off so easily?"  
  
Sara glanced over at her mom for a moment who wore an expression of amusement and surprise at how well Nick seemed to be handling Sara. She turned back towards Nick. "Can we not talk about this right now?"  
  
Nick's expression softened. "Sorry."  
  
Sara let out a deep sigh and turned towards her mom with a curious expression. "Where did Dad go?"  
  
Helen tried to restrain her smile at the interaction she'd just witnessed. "He went over to the lodge. Apparently, Kimberly's son Alex fell out of tree and broke his arm. She had to take him to the hospital so we're a little short handed in the kitchen."  
  
"I'm sure Sara and I could help out." Nick offered.  
  
Sara looked at him in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding, Nick; you in the kitchen?"  
  
He feigned a hurt expression. "What? You think that my mom raised seven kids and had a career and did it all by herself? I know my way around a kitchen."  
  
Helen couldn't help but smile. "I hate to impose on your vacation, but if you're willing to help it would be greatly appreciated."  
  
"I've got to see this." Sara was very curious about how well Nick really could handle himself in a kitchen.  
  
"Alright then; let's do it." He looked at Helen and Sara expectantly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You do handle a knife pretty well." Sara observed, trying to restrain her smile.  
  
Nick chuckled as he made quick work of the vegetables that would garnish the dinner salads. "I told you my mom made us help out. Besides, she didn't want to send her kids out in the world without being able to take care of themselves."  
  
"You don't look completely helpless." Sara quipped with a smirk.  
  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll have you know that I'm a pretty good cook." Nick challenged her.  
  
She glanced around and then whispered conspiratorially. "I wouldn't say that too loud around here, you might get roped into working in the kitchen and then you'd never get to see any of the bay."  
  
He attempted to swallow a grin. "I'll keep that in mind." He glanced over at her and pointed towards the lettuce she was tearing. "You're falling behind there, Sidle. You want to pick up the pace a little?"  
  
In answer, she tossed a leaf of lettuce at him and continued her task, a smile etched on her face.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You're parents sure turned in early." Nick observed glancing at the clock. It was only 9:00.  
  
"Well, they get up early to get things ready for breakfast over at the lodge." Sara replied as they settled themselves on the couch to watch a movie.  
  
"Have you ever seen this movie before?" Nick asked her as he grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl in her lap.  
  
She smiled. "Probably more times than I'd like to admit. What about you?"  
  
"No, but I hear it's a classic." Nick grinned and turned his attention back to the TV where the opening scene of Casablanca was just beginning.  
  
They were about half an hour into the movie when a thump sounded on the ceiling. Nick glanced at Sara with a perplexed expression. "Did you hear that?"  
  
Sara feigned ignorance. "Uh, no. What was it?"  
  
Another thump.  
  
"That." Nick gestured toward the ceiling.  
  
Thump, thump, thump, thump.  
  
Sara cringed. She knew exactly what the noise was and at the moment she wanted to die. "Uh, let's just try and ignore it."  
  
Thump, thump, thump, thump.  
  
Nick looked at her quizzically for a second.  
  
Then they heard a loud voice interspersed with the thumping coming through the ceiling.  
  
"Rick!"  
  
Thump.  
  
"Oh, Rick!"  
  
Thump.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Thump.  
  
"Oh, Rick!"  
  
Thump.  
  
"More!"  
  
Thump.  
  
"Rick!"  
  
Nick glanced over at Sara.  
  
She was covering her face with her hand.  
  
Nick started laughing.  
  
Sara glanced over at him with a horrified expression on her face.  
  
Nick tried to restrain his laughter and decided to try and do something to lessen Sara's utter mortification. "Do you want to go for a walk or something?"  
  
Sara didn't need to be asked twice. She reached over and grabbed the remote, shutting off the TV and VCR as she stood up and pasted a smile on. "Yes."  
  
Nick chuckled as they grabbed their jackets and headed out the front door and down the driveway. They'd gone a short distance when he nudged her elbow with his. "You have to admit, that was pretty funny."  
  
Sara was having a hard time seeing any humor in the situation. "My parents were having loud obnoxious sex. How is that possibly funny?"  
  
Nick slung his arm over her shoulders. "Yeah, you never want to think about your parents like that, but seriously, Sara, it was really funny."  
  
She glanced over at him and her smirk gave way to a chuckle. "Ok, so maybe it was a little funny. Embarrassing as hell, but a little funny." 


	5. And Just When You Think It Can't Get Any...

"You ready to go back inside?" Nick looked over at Sara as they walked around the property. It was a beautiful night and the sky was clear, offering them a view of the moon and stars over the bay.  
  
Sara let out a nervous laugh. "Hopefully we've been gone long enough." She felt her cheeks growing warm and tried to restrain an embarrassed smile. "I still can't believe the two of them."  
  
Nick laughed at her discomfort, putting an arm around her shoulder again. "That's one of the reasons I don't stay at my parents' house when I go to Dallas. Since all of us are out of the house, they've become even more demonstrative than they were when we were home."  
  
Sara smirked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a healthy sex life, but they're my parents. I just don't need the mental image." She stopped and glanced over at him. "And the fact that you're here just makes it all that much more embarrassing. Promise me you won't say a word about this to anyone back in Vegas."  
  
Nick glanced at the ground, chuckling as he considered what the others might say about it and knowing that they would probably find it about as funny as he did. But he didn't want to hurt Sara. "I promise." He grinned at her. "But I may tease you about it from time to time."  
  
"Nick." Sara whined in protested.  
  
"Ok, fine. Not a word." He paused and then whispered. "Unless we're alone."  
  
"Ok." She laughed in spite of herself. "Now let's go see where we're sleeping."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I'm going to kill her." Sara was incredulous that the guest room she assumed Nick would be sleeping in had been converted into an office and the fold out bed that was always stored there was gone.  
  
"Sara, I'm sure it's not that bad. I'll just sleep on the couch." Nick offered.  
  
She tilted her head and looked at him in amusement. "Did you notice that the couch isn't a couch? It's a loveseat. You'll have to fold yourself into a pretzel if you think you're going to sleep on it."  
  
Nick bit his tongue to keep from laughing. "Well what do you suggest?"  
  
She held her hand to her forehead as she considered the possibilities. "Uh, I could ask my mom where another fold out bed is."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Do you really want to wake her up?"  
  
Sara grimaced. "Uh, no. Now that you mention it, that would be a really bad idea. They might try for an encore if I wake them up."  
  
Nick couldn't hold his laughter in any longer. "You know I could just sleep on the floor."  
  
She looked at him with her brow furrowed. "No, I'll sleep on the floor, you can have my bed. I didn't invite you up here to make you sleep on hardwood floors."  
  
"I'm not taking your bed." Nick protested.  
  
"Yes, you are." Sara insisted.  
  
"Sara." Nick raised an eyebrow in challenge. "I'm not making you give up your bed."  
  
"You're not making me do anything." Sara replied stubbornly. "I'll sleep on the floor."  
  
"No, you're not." Nick protested again. "If you sleep on the floor, so am I."  
  
Sara glared at him. "You're not making this easy."  
  
"Why can't you just let me sleep on the floor then? It's not a big deal." Nick assured her.  
  
"We'll just share it then." Sara sounded matter of factly.  
  
Nick looked at her a little surprised. "Share." He couldn't believe she was suggesting the idea.  
  
She nodded and looked him in the eye. "We're both adults. We can share a bed. It's not like we're attracted to each other."  
  
"Sara." Nick protested again. "I can sleep on the floor." He wasn't sure that sharing a bed with a very attractive Sara Sidle was a good idea.  
  
"Well then I am too." She huffed.  
  
He rested his hands on his hips and smirked. "Fine, we'll share. But for the record, the floor would be fine."  
  
"But there's no sense sleeping on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed in the room. We'll just get a fold out bed tomorrow." She reasoned and turned toward the bedroom that she'd spent her childhood years in.  
  
Nick followed her silently, shaking his head at the irony of the situation. Who would believe that he was sharing a bed with Sara Sidle and that it was her idea?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you comfortable?" Sara looked over at Nick as he lay next to her.  
  
His lips curved upward into a smile. "Very. You?"  
  
"Yes." She smiled.  
  
It had been a little interesting trying to figure out who was going to sleep on what side of the bed and Nick had been very conscious about leaving her plenty of space so she wouldn't get the wrong idea, even though at the moment his mind was definitely drifting into territory that he wasn't sure was a good idea since they were sharing a bed.  
  
Nick shifted his weight and pulled the pillow under his neck a little further.  
  
"You sure you're comfortable?" Sara had rolled onto her side to face him. Her face was a mixture of concern and curiosity.  
  
He grinned. "Yeah, just trying to fine tune things."  
  
"Ok." She smiled brightly. "Do you want to turn the light out then?"  
  
"Sure." He turned to reach for the bedside lamp and started to laugh. "Uh, Sara, did you see this?"  
  
She glanced at him curiously. "What?"  
  
Nick grabbed a book that had been sitting next to the lamp and handed it to her. "Is this some sort of hint from your mom?"  
  
When Sara saw what he held in his hands she let out a groan of embarrassment. "What the hell is she thinking? She's been dropping not so subtle hints since we got here this afternoon that she thinks you and I should be more than just friends, but this is ridiculous."  
  
Nick couldn't help but laugh as he took the book back and opened it. "I mean, this looks like fun, but she does know that we're not dating."  
  
"Yes, she knows we're not dating." Sara covered her face with her arm. "I cannot believe she put that in here."  
  
Nick studied one of the pages with interest. "Hmm, this looks interesting." He nudged Sara. "You ever try this?"  
  
She looked at the page in question and then at him and rolled her eyes. "No. And I can't believe that you're looking at it."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Your mom obviously wants you to have as much fun as her and your dad do."  
  
Sara let out another groan. "Nick, put that down. I don't know what's worse, hearing them have sex or having you find a copy of the Kama Sutra." 


	6. Getting Cozy

Nick woke up feeling a little disoriented. It took him a minute to process that he wasn't at home in Vegas, that he'd gone to California with Sara, but in his groggy state, he was having a hard time fitting the pieces together, especially since Sara had snuggled up against him while they were sleeping and had an arm across his waist and her head on his shoulder. He had a vague recollection that she'd insisted they share her bed since the fold out bed was no where to be found and he vaguely remembered something about finding a copy of the Kama Sutra. He closed his eyes and decided to just savor the moment because he reasoned that the chance that he and Sara would ever be like this again was pretty remote. Besides, if he woke her up at that moment, he was fairly certain that she would be completely mortified.  
  
Sara felt someone stir slightly and then as her eyes fluttered open, she realized that it was Nick and that somewhere in the night she had cozied herself up against him and slung an arm across his waist. She was glad he was still asleep because she thought if he woke up and found her like that, he'd probably freak out. She watched him for a moment and couldn't help but smile as she looked closely at his face. Damn, it always seemed so unfair that men had the most beautiful eyelashes, and Nick was no exception. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh and as she did, she felt Nick's fingers caressing her arm.  
  
Neither one of them moved or said anything for a few minutes, and then Nick spoke in a whisper. "This is kind of nice."  
  
Sara's eyes fluttered open again and she found Nick looking at her. She was surprised that she didn't feel awkward about waking up like this. She found herself smiling at him. "How did you sleep?"  
  
A smile spread over his face. "Really good. You?"  
  
"Good." She let out a soft chuckle. "I guess I moved in my sleep."  
  
"It's ok, I'm not complaining." He was trying to measure her reaction.  
  
Sara closed her eyes again and smiled. "This is nice, but we really should get up."  
  
Nick couldn't help but caress her arm again. "What time is it?"  
  
"Mmn I don't know, but we should probably get up soon." She murmured.  
  
Nick chuckled softly and continued to caress her arm. "Well, you're going to have to get up first then."  
  
Sara's voice was tired. "Five more minutes."  
  
"How about ten?" Nick suggested sleepily as he closed his eyes. "This is really nice."  
  
"Ten is good." Sara agreed snuggling closer to Nick and smiling as she felt him wrap his arms around her waist.  
  
They fell back to sleep and an hour and a half later they finally got up.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you going to give me the Sara Sidle hometown tour?" Nick looked at her mischievously as she pulled the car onto the road.  
  
She tried to stifle an embarrassed smile. "There's not much to see."  
  
"So does that mean you won't show me?" Nick looked at her curiously.  
  
She smiled. "I didn't say that. I just said that there isn't much to see. But if it'll make you feel better we have to drive through Marshall to get to Nick's Cove."  
  
Nick smiled. "I still can't believe there's a cove named after me."  
  
"Don't let it go to your head." She smirked at him.  
  
"So do any of your friend's from high school still live here?" Nick asked tentatively.  
  
Amusement flickered across Sara's face. "Probably." She glanced over at him. "But again, there's not much to tell. I wasn't popular in high school like I'm sure you were, so if you're looking for any embarrassing stories, you're not going to find them."  
  
"Who said I was looking for embarrassing stories? I'm just curious about what makes you Sara." His expression was soft.  
  
Sara felt her cheeks getting a little warm. She smiled a bit self consciously and pointed out the window. "Welcome to Marshall." She pulled up in front of a small store and parked the car. "I thought maybe we could grab something to eat since we didn't have breakfast."  
  
He grinned at her. "Sounds good." Nick followed her inside and glanced around as she made her way to the back of the store. It seemed that there was a little bit of everything on the shelves.  
  
Sara glanced over her shoulder and noticed how Nick was meandering behind her, taking in the scene. She was contemplating a bunch of bananas when she felt Nick's hand slide around her waist and his warm breath against her cheek.  
  
"There's some guy checking you out at the front counter." Nick whispered softly.  
  
Sara giggled. "Oh, really?"  
  
"Yeah, he's looking over here right now. Want me to tell him to stop staring?" Nick's voice was laced with amusement.  
  
"Are you jealous?" Sara teased.  
  
He looked at her with a smug expression. "Maybe a little."  
  
A surprised smile flickered across Sara's face. "Good."  
  
Nick chuckled. "You like that I'm jealous. Hmm." He tightened his grip around her waist as Sara picked up two bananas.  
  
"Maybe I do." She couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she headed for the front counter, stopping to pick up a bag of bagels and a couple bottles of water on her way. Nick kept his arm around her waist the entire time.  
  
A man who appeared to be in his early thirties smiled as Nick and Sara approached. "I thought that was you, Sara."  
  
"Hi, Jake." Sara smiled back.  
  
"When did you get in?" He asked.  
  
"Yesterday." She reached for her purse.  
  
"Let me get that, Sar." Nick's drawl seemed more pronounced than normal.  
  
As if seeing him for the first time, Jake looked over at Nick and offered his hand. "I'm Jake Peterson."  
  
Nick took his hand and shook it. "Nick Stokes. I'm a friend of Sara's from Vegas."  
  
Jake smiled. "Oh, I heard about you." He glanced over at Sara. "Your mom said you were bringing your boyfriend up with you when she was in with your dad a few days ago."  
  
Sara felt her cheeks burn at the word 'boyfriend'. "How much do I owe you?"  
  
"Four dollars and twenty-eight cents." Jake replied with a smile.  
  
Before Sara could get her money out, Nick handed Jake a five dollar bill. "There you go, man." Nick smiled widely.  
  
"Thanks." Jake put their purchases in a paper bag.  
  
Sara glanced over at Nick. "You didn't need to do that."  
  
"I know. I wanted to." He just smiled at her.  
  
Sara turned toward Jake. "I guess we'll see you around. Tell you mom I said 'hello'."  
  
"Will do." Jake grinned.  
  
As they turned to leave, Nick glanced at Jake. "So, Jake, did you go to high school with Sara?"  
  
Jake nodded. "I sure did."  
  
Sara rolled her eyes and took Nick's hand and began pulling him towards the door. "Nick, he's not going to tell you any stories about me." She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jake to emphasize her point.  
  
Nick arched both eyebrows at Jake and grinned as Sara pulled him towards the door. "Nice to meet you, man. We'll talk later."  
  
"Nick." Sara couldn't pull him out of the store fast enough as Jake waved at them and just shook his head in amusement. 


	7. Interesting Revelations

"So, you went to high school with Jake." Nick had a smug expression on his face as he grabbed one of the bananas out of the bag and began to eat it.  
  
Sara glanced over at him and smirked. "You're kind of cute when you're jealous."  
  
"I thought you said you liked me jealous?" Nick teased as he took another bite from the banana.  
  
Sara smiled. "Jake and I were in the science club together and he runs his parent's store when he's not teaching at the high school. End of story."  
  
Nick tried to keep from looking too curious, without much success. "So, you dated him then?"  
  
She shot him an amused expression. "You are jealous." She laughed. "No, I did not date Jake. In fact I didn't date anyone in high school."  
  
Nick's eyebrows slowly curved upward. "No one." His tone clearly implied that he didn't believe her.  
  
Sara felt her cheeks getting warm. She didn't meet his gaze but kept her eyes on the road. "No one." She let out a deep breath. "Nick, I didn't even have my first date until I went to Harvard and even then I can't say that I was very good at it."  
  
He studied her with interest. "But you're so beautiful." He sounded incredulous.  
  
Sara couldn't help but smile. "Could we talk about something else?"  
  
Nick chuckled at her embarrassment. "Why does it make you so uncomfortable that I think you're beautiful?" He took the last bite of his banana and tossed the peel back into the bag.  
  
She smirked. "I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just driving a car and I'd rather talk to you when I can look at you."  
  
He chuckled softly. "Ok then." He stole glances at her as she drove and a short time later, she turned the car into 'Miller County Park'. "I thought we were going to Nick's Cove."  
  
She looked smug. "We are at Nick's Cove; it's just that the official name is 'Miller County Park'."  
  
He tried to swallow a grin. "Wanna go for a walk?"  
  
"Yeah." She smiled at him.  
  
As they got out of the car and began to walk toward the water, Nick reached over and took her hand in his.  
  
Sara glanced over at him and tried to keep from grinning.  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Is this ok?"  
  
She nodded, no longer holding back her grin. "Yeah, it's ok."  
  
"Good." He smiled as they walked.  
  
Neither one of them anything for a while and then in the same instant the both spoke.  
  
"Sara."  
  
"Nick."  
  
They both laughed for a moment and then Nick started again. "Sara, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." She looked at him expectantly.  
  
He looked at her with uncertainty for a moment, not quite sure why he was so afraid to say what was on his mind.  
  
Sara raised her eyebrow at him as she watched his face. "What?"  
  
He caressed the back her hand with his thumb as the words tumbled out of his mouth. "I really want to kiss you right now. Would it be ok if I kissed you?"  
  
Sara just nodded as a smile overtook her face.  
  
A grinning Nick leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers.  
  
As he pulled away, Sara grinned. "You taste like bananas."  
  
Nick laughed and leaned in and kissed her again. He searched her face as he pulled away. "I've wanted to do that for so long, but especially since this morning."  
  
Sara felt her cheeks burn, but she continued to look into his face. "Wow." She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his as she slid her arms around his waist.  
  
Nick wrapped his arms around her shoulders and focused his attention on the sensation of Sara's lips, how they felt, how they tasted, how soft they were.  
  
Neither one of them seemed to notice as another car pulled into the lot as they continued to trade soft exploratory kisses. In fact they didn't seem to notice anything but each other until a voice broke through.  
  
"I thought that was you, Sara." The smugness of the tone caused Nick and Sara to pull apart a bit short of breath.  
  
Sara glanced over, her arms still around Nick's waist. Recognition flickered and she pasted a smile on her face. "Jenny."  
  
"What brings you all the way up here?" Jenny's voice was a little too sweet for Sara's liking.  
  
Sara felt Nick rubbing her back reassuringly. "Nick and I came up to visit my parents."  
  
As if seeing him for the first time, Jenny turned her attention toward Nick. "Oh, aren't you delicious. How did Sara ever snag you?"  
  
Nick coughed to keep from laughing as he extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Nick Stokes."  
  
Jenny's face registered a surprised pleasure at hearing Nick's drawl. "Oh, that accent is just adorable."  
  
"So, Jenny, what brings you here? Don't you live in San Francisco now?" Sara kept her smile pasted on her face, but she was becoming a bit irritated at being interrupted.  
  
Jenny kept her eyes on Nick as she answered Sara's question. "Oh, I moved back after Bryan and I got divorced last year. I'm free as a bird."  
  
"Oh, really? Well, Nick and I are a little busy right now." She glanced at her watch. "In fact we really need to be getting back. We promised mom and dad that we'd help out with the dinner prep."  
  
"It was nice to meet you, Jenny, but Sara's right, we need to get back." Nick could tell that Sara wanted to get as far away from Jenny as possible and he hoped that she'd tell him more about it later. He began to propel her towards the car.  
  
"Maybe I'll see you around." Jenny called out a bit saccharine.  
  
As soon as they were in the car with the doors closed, Nick glanced over at Sara and raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like I need to take a shower?"  
  
Sara huffed as she started the car. "Because she was undressing you with her eyes."  
  
"You sound jealous." Nick observed.  
  
Sara smirked at him. "I don't want anyone undressing you until I get the chance."  
  
Nick chuckled and a grin spread across his face. "I sense a little rivalry there. What's the story?"  
  
Sara tried to keep her tone even. "She tried to make my life miserable in high school."  
  
Nick kept silent as she continued.  
  
"And then when I lived in San Francisco, I had the misfortune of running into her on several occasions and each time she introduced me to a new husband. Apparently, Bryan wasn't famous enough for her." Sara concluded as she drove back towards the bed and breakfast.  
  
"Bryan?" Nick looked at her quizzically.  
  
Sara glanced over at him, her irritation dissipating. "He's some important player for whatever the football team in San Francisco is."  
  
Nick couldn't help but laugh. "You mean the 49ers?"  
  
"Sure." Sara smiled. "In any case, she goes through men like they're going out of style and I'm sure if we stayed there any longer she would have tried to put her claws into you too." Her brow was furrowed again.  
  
"Sar, pull the car over." Nick's voice was soft and reassuring.  
  
She pulled the car off onto the shoulder and turned toward him. "What?"  
  
He leaned toward her and slid his fingers into her hair, resting his forehead against hers. "No one is going to put their claws into me. The only woman that I'm interested in is you." He leaned in and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger against hers for a few moments before he pulled away and a wide grin formed on his face. "Besides, I'm kind of excited that you want to undress me." 


	8. If Only the Ground Could Swallow Me Up

"So do you want to help your parents out with dinner?" Nick looked at her curiously.  
  
She pursed her lips together in amusement. "I just wanted to get away from Jenny." Her brow furrowed together for a moment and then glanced over at him. "They probably could use the help though."  
  
"Whatever you want to do is fine with me." Nick smiled at her as she drove.  
  
She glanced over and chuckled. "Oh, really?"  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to do?"  
  
She had a smug expression and raised both of her eyebrows suggestively. "I think you'll have to wait and find out."  
  
Nick chuckled softly and tried to swallow a grin. "Sara Sidle."  
  
She didn't say anything, she just kept on driving trying to keep her smile at bay.  
  
Nick kept stealing glances at her.  
  
Finally, she pulled off the road and turned the ignition off.  
  
Nick looked at her a bit quizzically. "Where are we?"  
  
She smirked. "I thought maybe you might want to see some elephant seals."  
  
A wistful grin crossed Nick's face for a moment as he reached for his camera.  
  
Sara continued. "We can make out again later." She just grinned at him as she got out of the car.  
  
He couldn't help but laugh as he got out of the car and followed her to the overlook.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I thought you were interested in the wildlife." Sara teased as Nick kissed her neck. He stood behind her and had his arms wrapped around her waist.  
  
He whispered in her ear. "I am, but at the moment I'm far more interested in you."  
  
She leaned her head back on his shoulder. "We need to talk about this."  
  
Nick tightened his grip on her waist and whispered in her ear again. "What do you want to talk about?"  
  
She turned her head towards him and kissed him softly, smiling as she pulled away. "I think it's fairly safe to assume that when I said we weren't attracted to each other and could handle sharing a bed last night that I was in denial."  
  
He laughed. "Yeah, I would say so." He kissed her neck again.  
  
"Nick." Sara's voice was insistent.  
  
"Yeah?" He rested his chin on her shoulder and felt her tense for a moment before she continued.  
  
"We need to talk about whether or not we're going to have sex." She felt like she sounded awkward.  
  
"Are we voting?" Nick was mildly amused at her discomfort.  
  
"Nick, I'm serious." There was a hint of a whine in her voice.  
  
"I am too. Because if we're voting, I'm voting 'yes'." He continued, trying to keep his smile at bay.  
  
Sara turned in his embrace and looked him in the eye. "Then I hope you have a condom."  
  
He rested his forehead against hers and shook his head. "I didn't bring any."  
  
Sara winced. "I was afraid of that."  
  
Nick chuckled. "What's the problem? They have stores around here. I'm sure Jake would be more than happy to sell us a weeks supply."  
  
Sara groaned. "Nothing like announcing to the entire town that I'm horny as hell."  
  
"Well it might stop Jenny from bothering us." Nick quipped before he leaned in and kissed her briefly. He had a mischievous glint in his eye as he continued. "So, you're horny as hell, huh?"  
  
She smirked. "Let's just say it's been a while. A long while and I'm more than ready to break the dry spell."  
  
"I'm sure with the way your parents were going at it last night that they probably have some lying around." Nick suggested in a husky voice.  
  
Sara groaned. "They probably do, but I sure as hell don't want to ask my dad for condoms."  
  
"I could ask." Nick suggested, leaning in to kiss her.  
  
Sara mumbled against his lips. "How embarrassing."  
  
Nick pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Do you want to wait until we get back to Vegas?"  
  
Sara looked at him as if he was crazy. "Hell no."  
  
He chuckled. "Ok, then, I'll ask." He leaned in and kissed her again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Look at that, Rick." Helen pointed out the window and Rick followed her gaze.  
  
Nick and Sara had just gotten out of the car and as they met in front of the vehicle, Nick took Sara's hand and leaned over and kissed her softly before they headed for the front door.  
  
"It seems you were right." Rick grinned at his wife.  
  
Helen gave him a smug look and continued working on the meal she was preparing for lunch. "Of course I'm right. I told you when I popped my head in there this morning that they were sleeping together."  
  
"It wasn't like you gave them much choice, honey." Rick quipped gently, a conspiratorial smile on his face.  
  
As Nick and Sara entered the kitchen, she smiled at her parents and dropped Nick's hand. "Hi." She walked over and pulled a couple of glasses out of the cupboard and poured both her and Nick a glass of water.  
  
"Where have you kids been?" Helen asked curiously.  
  
Sara handed Nick his glass of water and took a sip from her own before answering. "I took Nick out to Nick's Cove." Her brow furrowed. "We ran into Jenny whatever her last name is now so we didn't stay long and then we went up the elephant seal overlook."  
  
"Nice view out there." Rick observed. "You kids sleep ok last night?"  
  
Nick just nodded as he took a sip from his water.  
  
"Uh, yeah." Sara felt her cheeks burning a little and took another sip from her water.  
  
"Oh, honey, I put some condoms on the table by your bed." Her mom informed in a matter of fact manner as she continued to prepare lunch.  
  
Sara almost choked on her water and Nick tried to swallow a grin.  
  
Rick raise his eyebrow at them. "We just want to make sure you're practicing safe sex, that's all."  
  
Helen smiled widely at Sara. "I wasn't sure what kind you liked, so I put a variety. Your father and I like the ribbed kind, but you kids might be more adventurous." She glanced over at Nick and then back at Sara. "Are you kids hungry? I just made lunch." 


	9. Will the Embarrassment Never Cease?

"That was quite possibly the strangest lunch I've ever had." Nick quipped as he and Sara sat on the loveseat in the living room. Her parents were still in the kitchen cleaning up the lunch dishes and were getting ready to head over to the lodge and help prep the food for the guests' evening meals.  
  
Sara smiled at him and trailed her fingers up and down his arm. "They should be leaving pretty soon." The lunch conversation had been stilted at best as Nick and Sara kept looking at each other and Rick and Helen kept grinning at them like a couple of fools.  
  
Nick chuckled and leaned toward her. "You're not anxious are you?"  
  
Sara leaned toward him smiling. "No more so than you are." She laughed softly and then kissed him. As she pulled away, she whispered. "I think they think we're already sleeping together."  
  
Nick let out a soft groan at the thought and kissed her again. They were lost in the experience of kissing each other when they heard someone clear their throat. As they pulled apart and looked in the direction of the noise they noticed Rick and Helen standing there with smiles on their faces.  
  
"We're just heading over to the lodge." Helen looked exceptionally pleased that Sara seemed to have recanted her 'we're just friends' stance.  
  
"Probably won't be back until about eight or nine." Rick added with a knowing smile.  
  
"We could stay out later if you want some privacy." Helen continued to smile. "You know in case you."  
  
Sara cut her off mid-sentence. "Mom!" She was completely mortified  
  
Rick and Helen tried to stifle their smiles.  
  
She raised both eyebrows at her parents hoping that they would get the clue and just leave. "We're fine."  
  
"Thanks for lunch." Nick added with a smile. "Uh, it was just great." He was thoroughly amused at how open Rick and Helen were and how much it embarrassed Sara.  
  
"My pleasure, Nick." Helen smiled and took Rick's hand as they headed out the front door.  
  
"I thought they would never leave." Sara sounded somewhat exasperated.  
  
Nick laughed softly. "Well they're gone now." He grinned at her. "Wanna make out?"  
  
Sara shook her head. "No." A coy smile played at her lips as she stood up and pulled him with her off of the loveseat.  
  
Nick grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck. "What do you want to do?"  
  
Sara began walking backwards towards the stairs. "I think you know what I want." She leaned up and kissed him, continuing to walk backwards.  
  
Nick stopped her as they reached the stairs and pulled his lips away from hers whispering in her ear. "We should probably just walk up the stairs."  
  
Sara giggled and then leaned in and kissed him again before breaking out of his embrace and pulling him by the hand up the narrow staircase.  
  
They shut the door behind them as they entered Sara's room and immediately were back in each other's arms in the midst of a deep kiss. Sara began tugging at Nick's shirt, finally pushing him away for a moment as she lifted it over his head and let it fall to the floor. She grabbed the hem of her own shirt and pulled it over her head and tossed it to the floor before Nick pulled her back against him and into a hungry kiss.  
  
They continued stumbling backwards in the general direction of the bed as they kissed madly, their hands caressing.  
  
They tumbled onto the bed laughing and scooted upward so they lay facing each other, taking a moment to look at each other and smile before Nick leaned in and began kissing her again.  
  
Sara was conscious only of Nick's lips on hers and how soft and strong they felt. As his tongue delved into her mouth, she was aware of how much she'd wanted this for so long. As his hands splayed out on her back, she found her legs tangling with his. She let out a soft groan as she could feel him becoming aroused.  
  
Nick's fingers fumbled at the back of her bra. The sheer sensation of touching Sara was almost too much for his senses all at once.  
  
Sara's hands splayed out against his chest and her mouth fell completely under his control. She felt his fingers working at the clasp of her bra and she was certain that he'd almost gotten it undone when she heard someone open the door to her bedroom.  
  
"Oh, well you two didn't waste any time." Her mother's tone was amused.  
  
Sara felt completely mortified and she pulled away from Nick breathing heavily as she tried to make sure her bra still covered her. Sara glanced over to see her mother standing there with her eyes closed. "Mother, what do you want!?" Sara was completely exasperated.  
  
"I was just going to tell you where I put the clean towels, but I think I'll let you find them yourself. Sorry, honey. Sorry, Nick. Have fun." Helen closed the door behind her as she left.  
  
Nick couldn't help but laugh at the situation.  
  
Sara swatted at him. "That was so not funny. I don't care what you say; there is no way that was funny." She leveled a serious gaze at him.  
  
He pursed his lips together. "Maybe we should lock the door."  
  
"Good idea." Sara disentangled herself from Nick and refastened her bra as she walked over and locked the door. She turned around to find an amused Nick propped up on his elbows looking at her appreciatively.  
  
"You are sexy as hell, Sara Sidle." He grinned.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him seductively. "And you haven't even seen me naked yet."  
  
He chuckled. "Can't wait."  
  
As she walked back toward the bed, she began to unzip her jeans and shimmy out of them. Clad in just her bra and panties she crawled back onto the bed and reached for Nick's fly.  
  
He stilled her hands and sat up, pulling her into a soft, deep kiss. As he pulled away he whispered. "Let's go slow."  
  
She pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips, leaning down and kissing him as she reached for his fly again. As she broke the kiss she whispered. "Not too slow."  
  
Nick gripped her waist and rolled them over so she was on her back. He leaned down and kissed her, even as she began to tug his jeans downward. He pulled back long enough to kick them off, leaving him clad in only his boxers before turning towards her again.  
  
Sara slid her hand around the back of his head and brought him down into a possessive kiss. They pulled apart a few moments later as Sara began tugging at his boxers.  
  
Nick whispered huskily. "We're not going very slow."  
  
Sara leaned up and kissed him again as she continued pulling at his boxers and as she broke the kiss to catch her breath she whispered back. "We've had three and a half years of foreplay. I don't want to go slow." 


	10. Wow

"Wow, Sara." Nick was still trying to catch his breath as he rolled back towards Sara and leaned down and kissed her.  
  
She smiled as he broke the kiss. "We may have to do that again, it's been so long I almost forgot that it felt that good."  
  
Nick laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." He rolled back over onto his back and grinned.  
  
Sara moved toward him and pulled herself onto his chest. "What else do you want to do today?"  
  
He raised both eyebrows. "You mean we haven't done everything there is to do here?" There was a teasing tone in his voice.  
  
Sara feigned a pout.  
  
Nick chuckled. "Ok, we've met your ex-boyfriend."  
  
Sara swatted at him playfully. "Jake was not my boyfriend."  
  
"Whatever." He teased. "I got to kiss you and then we met your arch rival from high school."  
  
"He was not my boyfriend." Sara insisted as she traced an invisible pattern on his chest.  
  
"We saw elephant seals and we learned what kind of condoms your parents like. I'd say that's a pretty full day." He reached up and caressed her face with his fingertips.  
  
"You forgot something." Sara teased with her lips in a pout.  
  
Nick looked at her quizzically. "I'm not sure I follow. I think I covered all the high points today."  
  
Sara giggled and she moved her mouth towards his. "I think you forgot something."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He had a mischievous look in his eye.  
  
Sara nodded. "Oh, yeah. Something really big."  
  
Nick pretended to give that some serious thought. "No, I think I got everything. Are you sure?"  
  
"Maybe I should give you a hint." Sara teased, her mouth a fraction of an inch from his.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea." Nick grinned as she closed the remaining distance between them and kissed him.  
  
Sara pulled away for a moment and looked into his eyes. "That help?"  
  
He feigned ignorance. "It's still not coming to me. Maybe you should give me another hint."  
  
Sara giggle and leaned in and kissed him again, groaning into his mouth as she felt his arms go around her and slide down and grip her butt to pull her more fully on top of him. When they broke the kiss they were both breathing heavily. "How was that?" Sara's voice was husky.  
  
"I think I'm getting the picture." Nick leaned up and captured her lips for a long moment before breaking the kiss. He looked at her mischievously. "Maybe we should try something in that book your mom put in here."  
  
A hint of embarrassment flickered across Sara's face for a moment and then she grinned. "Maybe we should. We can go kayaking tomorrow."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick and Sara were out walking around the property. It was about 9:30 in the evening and the noise level in the house had gone up considerably since Rick and Helen had turned in for the evening.  
  
Nick glanced over at Sara with an amused expression on his face. "Were they like this when you lived at home?"  
  
"Yes, and they just seem to be getting worse as they get older." Sara couldn't help but laugh. "Who in the world wants to listen to that?"  
  
Nick laughed. "I have to say that your parents are far more open about sex than mine were. Not that they hid it, but I don't think I ever heard my parents until I came home for the weekend once in college."  
  
"Oh, I've more than heard my parents." Sara's eyebrows went up in horror at the memory. "I had a science fair in high school and they said they couldn't come because they had to make sure the guests had dinner, well by the time I got home, the lights in the house were out and I figured that they'd just gone to bed."  
  
"Let me guess, they hadn't." Nick interjected.  
  
"Smart man." Sara smiled at him and leaned toward him. "Cute too." She kissed him softly for a moment before pulling away and finishing her story. "Anyway, when I walked in, I heard a noise in the kitchen and when I went to see what it was, there they were in the middle of doing the deed on the kitchen table."  
  
Nick glanced at her curiously. "How often does your mom clean the kitchen table?" His thoughts flashed to where they'd eaten lunch.  
  
Sara elbowed him. "Trust me, every chance I get that I'm here I scour that thing. And you wonder why I travel with Non-Oxynal 9."  
  
Nick chuckled. "That does explain a few things."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara turned and looked at him a bit quizzically.  
  
"Nothing, Ms. Neat-freak." He leaned in and kissed her briefly.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well if your parents were getting it on in every corner of the house, you'd be a neat freak too. I've made a vow to never run an ALS in their house because I just don't want to know."  
  
Nick couldn't help but laugh. "I thought you were going to die when your mom walked in on us."  
  
Sara chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm only surprised that she didn't stick around to offer some technical advice."  
  
Nick looked at her for a moment and then doubled over in laughter. "Sara Sidle, I don't think anyone back in Vegas would believe this."  
  
"And you wonder why I don't talk about my family much. This would be why." She quipped.  
  
Nick pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear. "In spite of that, I like them, and I really like you, every inch of you." He waggled his eyebrows and kissed her.  
  
Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. When they broke apart a few minutes later, she grinned. "Maybe we should go back to the house and make some noise of our own." 


	11. This One Takes the Cake

Nick felt a whoosh of cool air and then Sara's warm body climbing onto him and her lips pressed against his. He let out a low chuckle as wakefulness overtook him and Sara continued to kiss him.  
  
As Nick's eyes fluttered open, Sara giggled against his lips. "Good morning."  
  
"Good morning." He gave her a sleepy grin. "What time is it?"  
  
"I don't know." She lay her head against his chest and let out a sigh. "But I think my parents are still sleeping or already gone."  
  
Nick's strong hands caressed her thighs, his fingers lightly trailing upward until he reached her hips. "When do you want to go kayaking?"  
  
Sara propped herself up, letting her body slide against his. "In a little while. I thought maybe we could do a little repeat of last night." She leaned down and kissed him hungrily.  
  
As they broke the kiss, Nick chuckled. "Oh you do, huh? I was kind of thinking that page thirty-seven sounded pretty good."  
  
Sara raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Thirty-seven?" She pushed herself into a seated position, the blankets sliding off of her back and pooling behind her.  
  
Nick sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Uh huh." He began to kiss her neck as he pulled her against him.  
  
Sara slid her arms around his neck. "I'm not familiar with page thirty- seven."  
  
Nick grinned as he continued to kiss her neck. "Well, let me introduce you."  
  
As Nick's lips began to trail lower, Sara let out a soft moan of pleasure and then her bedroom door swung open.  
  
"Oh, babe, I'm sorry, I just thought you and Nick were up." Her dad stood there with an apologetic smile on his face, but he made no move to leave.  
  
Sara glanced over her shoulder and clung to Nick whose head had snapped up and turned in the direction of the door. "Uh, Dad." Sara wasn't sure how the situation could possibly be more embarrassing, that is until her mom came to stand in the doorway.  
  
Nick didn't say a word; he was just hoping that the combination of Sara and the blankets covered him up sufficiently since both of them were in the buff.  
  
Her mom just smiled. "Good morning. Rick got the kayaks out that you wanted to use and he was going to put them on the top of the car, but we need the keys so we can put the rack on the car."  
  
Nick found his voice as Sara's nails dug into his shoulders. "Uh, they're right there on the chair by the door." There was a bit of a croak as he spoke.  
  
"Oh, great." Helen smiled. "We'll get that taken care of for you kids."  
  
Rick flashed them both an apologetic smile. "Uh, sorry to burst in on you, but you might want to keep the door locked. Breakfast is in about ten minutes if you're interested." He pulled the door shut behind him.  
  
Sara let out a whimper against Nick's shoulder. "I think that quite possibly qualifies as the single most embarrassing moment in my entire life."  
  
Nick kissed her cheek. "I thought you locked the door last night."  
  
She rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I did, but I got up to use the bathroom a little while ago and I forgot to lock it when I came back in."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Helen, these omelets are great." Nick grinned at her. "You give my mom's a run for her money."  
  
"So what does your mom do, Nick?" Helen asked as she reached over and poured herself another glass of orange juice.  
  
Sara tried to restrain a smile as Nick answered. "Uh, she's a public defender."  
  
"Sounds like a smart lady." Rick observed.  
  
Nick grinned. "She is. She kept all seven of us in line."  
  
Helen's eyebrows curved upward. "So where do you fall into the birth order?"  
  
"He's the youngest." Sara interjected.  
  
"What does your dad do?" Rick asked taking another bite of his breakfast.  
  
Nick swallowed a mouthful of omelet before he answered. "Uh, he's a judge actually."  
  
Rick and Helen exchanged a surprised glance.  
  
"He was a district attorney before that." Nick informed them.  
  
"Oh. That sounds pretty important." Helen offered.  
  
Nick grinned at them. "They're just mom and dad to me."  
  
"Thanks for getting the kayaks out." Sara thought she'd change the line of conversation.  
  
Rick glanced over and chuckled. "Ok, we'll stop asking Nick twenty questions."  
  
"And, honey, we are sorry we walked in on the two of you." Helen gave both Nick and Sara an apologetic look.  
  
Sara felt her cheeks burn and she turned her full attention to her plate.  
  
Nick chuckled and took another bite of his omelet. "You'll have to show me how you make these. They're really good."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara glanced over at Nick as they got in the car. "I hope you know that none of this gets repeated when we're back in Vegas."  
  
Nick looked at her quizzically.  
  
Sara was flustered for a moment. "I mean the parts about how my parents have embarrassed the hell out of me. I fully intend to repeat what we did last night." She grinned at him.  
  
Nick laughed. "I sure hope so. Damn, Sara, you are something else."  
  
She turned the ignition on and chuckled. "You know what I find ironic?"  
  
He shook his head. "No. What?"  
  
"Us." She smiled. "Your parents and mine are so different. How long did you say your parents had been married?" She pulled the car out onto the road and headed up to Nick's Cove so they could put the kayaks in the water.  
  
Nick furrowed his brow for a moment. "I think this year will be forty- seven or forty-eight years."  
  
Sara pursed her lips. "I think my parents were pretty much still kids when they had me, I mean, mom was barely twenty and my dad was just a couple of months older than her. They finally decided to get married when I was ready to enter kindergarten in seventy-six. The school let me in even though the cutoff date was September 15th."  
  
"Hey, that's right; I'm barely a month older than you." Nick grinned. "My August 18th to your September 16th."  
  
"Good memory." She grinned at him. For some reason, of all the CSIs, he'd never forgotten her birthday since he'd met her.  
  
They continued chatting about their families for the rest of the drive up to the Cove. When they pulled into the lot, Sara turned the ignition off and smiled at Nick. "You know it was pretty risky for me to ask you up here, but I'm really glad you came with me."  
  
He leaned over and kissed her softly. "I'm glad too." 


	12. The Great Outdoors

Author's Note: To 'Curious', with regard to your comment about why Sara's parents are still using birth control at their age, let me answer. While it is true that menopause can arrive in the mid-forties, it doesn't always, in fact there have been many documented cases of women becoming pregnant into their fifties (even some that thought that they had entered menopause). I believe the world record for a naturally conceived child is sixty-four. So while I appreciate your thoughtful comment, my story pegs Rick and Helen at about fifty-three years old, still young enough to become parents again. So for the time being, they'll keep on using birth control.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Nick, be careful or you're going to end up in the water." Sara looked amused at the way Nick was trying to get into his kayak.  
  
He glanced up and grinned. "I'm not sure how else I'm supposed to get into this thing."  
  
Sara bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Well just be careful, the water is really cold and I don't think you want to go for a swim."  
  
"Got it." Nick chuckled as he finally got into the kayak. "Ok, so where are we headed?"  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."  
  
Nick shook his head and laughed as he dipped his paddle into the water and followed Sara's lead.  
  
They paddled out into Tamales Bay and as they quietly skimmed across the water, they were treated to a vast display of wildlife. Nick had brought his camera with him and snapped pictures every now and then of different birds flying or floating above the water. At one point, several sea lions swam alongside them and Nick couldn't contain his smile as he snapped a few shots. Sara led them to one of the small islands in the midst of the bay and she paddled up to the beach and got out of her kayak, pulling it onto the shore.  
  
Nick looked at her with a quizzical expression. "Uh, Sara? How am I supposed to get out of this thing?"  
  
She giggled. "Hold on for a second and I'll help you."  
  
Nick sat there patiently enough, but felt a little stupid needing help to get out of a kayak. He decided to give it a try, but felt the kayak tipping. "Sara." There was a waver in his voice.  
  
She glanced back at him, just as his kayak tipped over and he fell into the shallow water, with only his hand that held his camera staying above the water. She burst out laughing as she watched Nick stand up still holding his camera aloft.  
  
He grinned sheepishly. "Uh, I got out."  
  
Sara couldn't find the air to speak because she was laughing so hard. And she kept on laughing until Nick had pulled his kayak up onto the shore next to hers and walked over and pulled her into a kiss, his drenched clothes soaking into hers. When they finally broke apart for air, she grinned at him. "I told you I'd help you."  
  
He chuckled softly. "Apparently I'm a little impatient."  
  
"You think?" She looked smug.  
  
"I'm a little wet." Nick was starting to feel very cold despite the unseasonable warm weather.  
  
"I hope you brought a change of clothes like I suggested." Sara sounded concerned.  
  
He nodded and then grinned as he gestured towards her. "Looks like you might need to change too."  
  
She smirked. "That's because someone tried to use me as a sponge."  
  
He chuckled. "Is there some where we could change?"  
  
She shook her head. "This is as civilized as this island gets, but I do know a spot that's pretty secluded." She pulled a bag out of her kayak and glanced over at Nick who was doing the same. "We might want to pull the kayaks up a little further in case the tide comes up."  
  
He nodded and they grabbed one kayak and then the other as they moved them well up to the tree line on the beach. Nick followed Sara as she led them up a trail and into the woods. They had walked about ten minutes when Sara stopped and pointed.  
  
She smiled at him. "Just on the other side of those rocks is a great view of the bay, but it's pretty well hidden." She led them down a small path and around an outcropping of rocks into a small clearing shielded from the bay by a few low lying tree branches.  
  
Nick dropped his bag and unzipped it, beginning to pull out his change of clothes. He glanced up and noticed that Sara had something else in mind. He let out a low chuckle.  
  
Sara looked over at him with a devilish grin. "What?" She pulled a couple of blankets out of her bag and spread them out on the ground.  
  
"I wondered why your bag was so much bigger than mine, but I didn't want to say anything." Nick teased.  
  
She feigned innocence. "I just thought maybe we should warm you up first. I mean if you don't get warmed up soon, you could develop hypothermia."  
  
Nick let out another low chuckle. "We can't have that now, can we?"  
  
She shook her head making no attempt to stifle her smile. "No, we can't."  
  
Nick began to peel his wet clothes off an article at a time. He glanced over at Sara and chuckled. She had already disrobed and had crawled underneath one of the blankets with an attempt at a 'come hither' look on her face. Nick bit his lip to keep from laughing.  
  
Sara screwed her face up into a pout. "You're taking too long."  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Wet clothes are a little harder to get off, babe."  
  
Sara lay back and let out a sigh.  
  
"Uh, Sara?" There was a bit of uncertainty in Nick's voice.  
  
She glanced up at him as he stood there in his birthday suit. "Yeah?" She couldn't help but grin at him.  
  
"I didn't bring any protection." He looked frustrated.  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him and giggled. "Do you really think that I'd bring blankets and not remember these?" She tossed a couple of packets at him.  
  
Nick's expression changed from frustrated to excited as he almost dove toward Sara.  
  
She giggled and pulled him into a kiss as he slid beneath the blanket next to her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You know, I've always wanted to do that out here." Sara confessed as she lay next to Nick under the blanket.  
  
He laughed. "You know, Sara, I'm learning a hell of a lot about you that I never knew before. I never would have guessed you'd be up to sex in the great outdoors."  
  
She let out a deep throaty laugh as she climbed on top of him. "I was thinking that maybe you should show me page thirty-seven since we got interrupted earlier." She sat up and pulled him with her, the blanket pooling behind her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
Nick chuckled as he began to trail kisses down her throat. "Thirty-seven sounds good." 


	13. Pain in My Nettle

"I don't know if it's us, page thirty-seven, or just Tamales Bay, but our timing is terrible." Nick quipped with a smirk as they loaded the kayaks to return to Nick's Cove.  
  
Sara still looked a little embarrassed. "How was I supposed to know that you're supposed to put something out to let other people know the area is occupied? I never came here in high school."  
  
Nick chuckled. "I definitely have to say that the look on your face was priceless."  
  
She laughed deeply. "I would never have guessed that Jake and Jenny had a 'thing' going on."  
  
As Sara moved a little gingerly getting into her kayak and Nick winced. "How's your ass?"  
  
She smirked at him. "Maybe the next time you try and shove me into the bushes, you can make sure that they're not stinging nettles first."  
  
He looked sheepish as he carefully climbed into his kayak. "I meant the part the tree trunk scraped."  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure it'll be fine with a little Neosporin and a Band-aid." She wiggled uncomfortably as she sat in the kayak.  
  
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Itchy?"  
  
She deadpanned. "What do you think?"  
  
"Ok, then, why don't we head back." Nick wasn't sure what else to say at that moment.  
  
Sara dipped her paddle into the water and Nick followed along behind as they skimmed over the water. Neither one of them spent much time taking in the scenery. Sara's mind was on getting out of a seated position as quickly as possible and getting some anti-itch cream where she'd been stung by nettles. Nick felt badly that he'd shoved her into the nettles in an attempt to hide from a half clothed Jake and Jenny who had stumbled into the spot where he and Sara had been. Not that it didn't attract even more attention when she jumped up grabbed him and backed into a tree, scraping her butt in the process. A very startled Jake and Jenny had dived behind a boulder. Jake being the most clothed of all of them, was kind enough to pick up Nick and Sara's clothes so they could get dressed. Needless to say, Sara was completely mortified at the entire situation and at the same time relieved that Jenny had found someone else to sink her claws into. All Nick wanted to do was make her happy, so he wisely kept his mouth shut as they paddled back to the cove where the car was parked.  
  
They finally arrived back at Nick's cove, and this time Nick waited for Sara to hold his kayak steady as he extricated himself from it. They loaded the kayaks onto the rack on top of the car and as Nick finished securing them he felt Sara's arms slide around his waist.  
  
"Hey, I know you were only trying to save my dignity." She offered as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.  
  
Nick lifted his arm over her head and turned to pull her into a hug. "I really do feel bad."  
  
"I know." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Now let's get out of here, I'm dying right now."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Nick winked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara lounged in the bathtub. This was one time that she was thankful that her parents had never replaced the claw-footed bathtub in the bathroom. Her mom had put together some sort of herbal concoction that eased the itching and made her scrape sting a little bit, but overall, it felt heavenly compared to what it had felt like before. Of course trying to explain to her mom why she needed it in the first place was completely embarrassing, especially when her mom asked her why she didn't put something out to warn people away. Sara had glanced over at Nick with a mortified expression as if to say that if she'd known her parents had been there together she would never have taken Nick.  
  
The water was still warm and as Sara soaked she silently wondered how Nick was surviving alone with her parents.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rick sat down next to Nick on the front porch and handed him a cup of coffee.  
  
Nick glanced up and smiled gratefully as he took the cup. "Thanks." He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the coffee mingled with the smell of salt water in the air before taking a sip. "Mm. This is good."  
  
Rick was quiet for a few minutes as he took a long sip from his coffee before cradling the cup in his hands and looking over at Nick. "So, Nick, what are your intentions with my daughter."  
  
Nick swallowed hard, burning his tongue in the process on the coffee. "Uh, I care about her a lot."  
  
Rick chuckled softly. "Don't get me wrong, Helen and I like you. We just want to know how serious you are about Sara. We don't want to see her get hurt. That's happened to her a few times already and she took it really hard."  
  
Nick nodded. "I would never intentionally hurt her, Rick. She's been my friend for a long time and I wouldn't date her if I didn't think we had a shot at something long term."  
  
"How long term are you thinking?" Rick had a serious expression on his face.  
  
Nick wasn't really prepared for the questions he was getting. He thought about it for a moment and then turned to Rick. "I guess that's something that Sara and I need to talk about. I don't know if she told you this or not, but we weren't dating before we came up here."  
  
Rick let out a low chuckle. "That explains a few things."  
  
Nick suddenly felt a little embarrassed.  
  
"Helen and I haven't exactly been too easy on you kids. If we'd known this was a new thing between you two, we would have been a little more thoughtful about knocking before opening bedroom doors. And we would have made sure that there was a fold out bed for you to sleep in rather than push you if you weren't ready." Rick confessed.  
  
Nick couldn't help but smile. "I think Sara's more embarrassed than I am. With seven kids in my family, privacy is not something that you got a lot of."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wrapped in her robe, Sara stood in her room reading the directions on the tube of anti-itch cream when a soft knock sounded at the door. Without glancing up, she called out. "Come in."  
  
"Hey." Nick's voice was soft and his expression was inquisitive as he closed the door behind him. "Did the bath help?"  
  
She glanced up at him and smiled. "Yeah, but I still think I should put some of this stuff on."  
  
Nick leaned against the closed door and studied her.  
  
Sara looked at him quizzically. "What have you been up to?"  
  
He smiled. "Talking to your dad."  
  
The calm expression on his face and the way that he was studying her made her nervous. "What have you been talking about?"  
  
He chuckled softly. "You."  
  
"What about?" Sara certainly hoped her dad wasn't embellishing stories about her awkward teenage years.  
  
Nick walked over towards her and took the tube out of her hand setting it on the dresser. "He wanted to know what my intentions towards you were."  
  
Sara looked nervous. "And what did you say?"  
  
He slid his fingers into her hair and looked into her eyes. "That I wouldn't be dating you if I didn't think we had a shot at something long term."  
  
There was a squeak in Sara's voice. "Oh."  
  
He leaned in and kissed her softly before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. "I think maybe we need to talk about where this is going, especially before we head back to Vegas on Friday."  
  
She nodded and her voice came out in a whisper. "Yeah, I think you're right."  
  
He whispered back. "How's your ass doing?"  
  
Sara looked at him for a moment and then started laughing. "Well, if you'll help me put that stuff on it, it'll be doing a lot better." 


	14. Back to Reality

"I think it's going to throw them for a loop." Sara commented as she and Nick discussed what they thought the team's reaction to their romance would be. They were laying out on a quilt in Rick and Helen's backyard looking up at the stars and talking.  
  
"I don't know, I mean, it's not like we haven't flirted pretty much since the day you showed up." Nick interjected as he laced his fingers with hers.  
  
Sara furrowed her brow in concentration and glanced over at him. "How do you want to tell them?"  
  
"I think the direct approach works the best. I mean I don't see any reason to beat around the bush, besides, we are the number two crime lab in the country and I think they'd be able to put the pieces together pretty quick if we didn't tell them." Nick added.  
  
"Well, nobody knew I had a thing for Grissom for a while?" Sara said in utter seriousness.  
  
Nick busted out laughing. "You have got to be kidding, Sara. Everyone knew that you had a thing for Grissom."  
  
She looked a little taken aback. "They did?"  
  
Nick nodded a bit smug. "Yeah. Why do you think I never asked you out before?"  
  
She raised a curious eyebrow at him. "You mean you never asked me out because I had a thing for Grissom?"  
  
"Yes, I mean no, I mean, I'm not the kind of guy to infringe on another guy's territory. I wanted to give him plenty of room to make a move." Nick tried to explain.  
  
"Only he never did." Sara quipped.  
  
Nick's voice was soft. "No, he didn't." He leaned over and kissed her, smiling as he pulled away. "And am I ever glad he didn't"  
  
Sara smiled at him. "Didn't you notice that I kind of had a thing for you too? Why do you think I flirted with you all the time?"  
  
He smirked. "Sometimes I can be a little slow."  
  
She chuckled softly. "Yeah, but once you catch on, you sure know how to make up for lost time." She leaned over and kissed him.  
  
Nick and Sara had spent the better part of the last two days talking about their relationship and where they saw it going. They knew that they were going to have to tell the rest of the nightshift team about their budding romance, and they really weren't sure how everyone was going to react. They had delved into some pretty uncharted and scary territory for both of them in those conversations. When Rick had asked Nick what he had meant by long-term, Nick realized that he and Sara needed to talk about all the possibilities of where their relationship might go. Nick wasn't sure he could tell Sara that he was in love with her, but he certainly did love her and he certainly felt like he was falling in love with her.  
  
Sara wasn't sure how to feel or what to think. She spent several hours completely freaking out and had to take a drive by herself to clear her head. The conclusion that she had come to was that she loved Nick and she was scared to death that she was falling in love with him.  
  
Neither one of them wanted to lose the friendship between them that had become so precious over the last three and a half years, but at the same time, what they'd experienced since they'd come to Tamales Bay together brought a completely different level of emotions to the table and neither one of them wanted to just go back. So they decided that whatever the outcome, they wanted to go forward in their relationship and see where it took them, being very intentional to be as open and honest with each other as possible.  
  
"I can't believe we're going home tomorrow." Sara mussed.  
  
Nick squeezed her hand. "Me either."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Was it really such a great idea that we're heading straight to work from the airport?" Sara feigned a pout as she fastened her seatbelt.  
  
Nick leaned in and kissed her. "Well we can't change it now." They were seated in seats 14a and 14b of the Airbus 320 for their return flight to Vegas.  
  
"We could call in sick." Sara grinned suggestively.  
  
Nick chuckled. "I can't believe those words are coming out of Sara Sidle's mouth."  
  
Sara smirked. "Well, there was a lot you didn't expect out of me this last week."  
  
Nick grinned and arched his eyebrows suggestively as he took her hand. "You are right about that." He leaned in and kissed her, hardly noticing when the flight attendant tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
She cleared her throat. "Sir, you need to fasten your seatbelt for takeoff."  
  
Nick pulled away from Sara and grinned at the flight attendant, a petite blond that a week ago Sara would have typified as 'Nick's type'. "Sorry, I was a little distracted."  
  
The flight attendant gave Nick and Sara a knowing smile. "Sir, you still need to fasten your seatbelt."  
  
Sara started to giggle as Nick finally let go of her hand to fasten his seatbelt. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "You'd better not do this at staff meetings."  
  
He glanced over at her and grinned again. "Don't worry, we'll be professional at work."  
  
She raised her eyebrow at him and smirked. "We don't have to be too professional."  
  
"Well, if we're not professional enough, we may not get to work together." He leaned over and kissed her.  
  
Sara pouted. "Good point."  
  
Nick chuckled again and leaned in and kissed her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You know, we still have plenty of time until shift starts." Sara grinned as Nick pulled his Denali into the parking lot.  
  
He chuckled. "If I had known you would be like this, Sara, I might have asked you out a lot sooner."  
  
Sara unfastened her seatbelt and scooted over towards him. "The parking lot's pretty empty."  
  
Nick unfastened his seatbelt and slid his arms around her waist as Sara pressed her lips against his. The kiss quickly deepened as they became oblivious to their surroundings and focused completely on each other. In fact they were so focused on each other that neither one of them noticed when another vehicle pulled in next to them. It wasn't until they both got the eerie feeling that they were being watched that they finally pulled apart and glanced out the window, coming face to face with one very shocked individual. 


	15. And the Cat is Out of the Bag

As Sara tried to pull herself together and refasten her blouse, Nick locked eyes through the window with Grissom who just stood there wide eyed at the situation his two young CSIs were in. In an attempt to lighten the situation, Nick smiled and raised a hand in greeting. His movement shook Grissom out of his shock as he lifted his own hand and then turned to leave, seemingly muttering to himself as Sara turned toward the window.  
  
She glanced back at Nick and smirked. "That wasn't really how I envisioned telling Grissom that we were dating."  
  
"Well I think he got the picture all the same." Nick quipped, running his fingers through his hair.  
  
"Oh, I'd say it was more like he got the video highlights." Sara quipped back.  
  
Nick winced. "Do you think he's going to be upset with us?"  
  
Sara pursed her lips together thoughtfully. "With Grissom who knows."  
  
"I supposed there's only one way to find out." Nick gestured towards the building. "Besides, if we get in there we can at least have a cup of coffee before everyone else shows up."  
  
They exited the Denali and made their way into the lab. As they headed down the hallway, they passed by Grissom's door.  
  
"Nick. Sara." Grissom called out from inside his office.  
  
They both stopped and turned around before stepping into Grissom's office. Sara put a smile on her face. "Yeah, Gris?"  
  
Grissom seemed to have overcome his initial shock as he looked from one CSI to the other. "I take it the vacation was good."  
  
Nick tried to stifle a chuckle. "You could say that."  
  
Sara glanced over at him and grinned.  
  
Grissom peered over the rim of his glasses. "I trust that this can stay outside the lab." He pointed from Nick to Sara and back to Nick.  
  
"That's the plan." Nick offered his most sincere expression.  
  
"Because if this," he gestured between them again, "starts to interfere with this" he gestured at the building, "you may not get to work together."  
  
"Understood." Nick glanced at Sara who looked a little uncomfortable.  
  
"And I wouldn't recommend the parking lot for your amorous activities." Grissom's expression was a mixture of sternness and mild amusement.  
  
"Can we go? We wanted to grab some coffee." Sara smiled in spite of her discomfort.  
  
Grissom smiled. "Sure."  
  
Nick and Sara turned to leave.  
  
"Uh, Sara?" Grissom called out.  
  
Sara turned around curiously. "Yeah?"  
  
In a matter of fact tone, Grissom replied. "Your blouse is off by one button." He turned back to his computer screen.  
  
Sara glanced down and felt her cheeks begin to burn, letting out a curse under her breath as she turned to leave.  
  
Nick couldn't help but chuckle as he followed her out.  
  
The made their way to the locker room where Nick leaned his shoulder against the bay of lockers as Sara turned her back to him and unbuttoned her blouse so that she could refasten it properly.  
  
He chuckled.  
  
She glanced at him over her shoulder. "What?"  
  
"I just think it's funny that you've got your back turned to me." Nick observed.  
  
She finished buttoning her blouse and turned to face him with a smirk on her face. "We need to make a rule."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Am I going to like this?"  
  
She pursed her lips in amusement. "Probably not."  
  
"Ok." Nick exhaled loudly.  
  
She put a hand on his chest. "No kissing at work."  
  
He furrowed his brow at her. "Sara."  
  
She leaned toward him and whispered. "Nick, when I start kissing you, I don't want to stop and while we're at work, that's not really a good thing, ok?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, you're right."  
  
"After work though, all bets are off." Her voice was thick and sultry.  
  
Nick let out a low deep chuckle. "I'm not going to be able to concentrate on work tonight."  
  
Sara pushed him away and smirked. "Coffee."  
  
He followed her as she stepped past him toward the door. As they entered the break room, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee permeated the air. Nick smiled as he poured coffee into a cup Sara offered him. He handed it to her as he grabbed another cup. "As good as this smells, I think it smells better with saltwater in the air."  
  
"You and my dad both." Sara commented as she took a sip. "Oh, Greg must be here already."  
  
Nick gave her a knowing glance. "He's going to be crushed you know."  
  
She smiled. "I'm sure he'll get over it."  
  
Just then the quirky lab tech strolled into the break room. "Ah, two of my favorite CSIs."  
  
"Hey, Greggo." Sara greeted.  
  
"Hope you guys saved me some coffee. Freshly brewed Blue Hawaiian." He grinned at Sara.  
  
"How did training with Warrick go, man?" Nick asked him.  
  
As Greg poured himself a cup of coffee and grinned. "Cracked the case."  
  
Sara had to stifle a giggle.  
  
Greg continued to grin. "So how was vacation?" He spoke the last word a bit staccato.  
  
"Good." Nick grinned, glancing over at Sara and raising an eyebrow. She nodded. "Uh, Greg, uh, Sara and I have something we want to tell you."  
  
Greg glanced at Sara curiously.  
  
She looked at Nick who just shrugged his shoulders. She turned toward Greg and smiled. "Uh, Nick and I are dating."  
  
Greg looked at her with a slightly confused expression. "Each other?"  
  
Sara nodded. "Yeah, each other."  
  
Nick tried to hide his amusement.  
  
Greg looked disappointed but smiled. "Well, I am the better man, but since I did just start dating Anisha in Trace this week, I guess I'll survive."  
  
Nick chuckled and clapped Greg on the back. "Way to go, man. I knew she had a thing for you."  
  
Greg took a sip from his coffee and smirked at Nick. "So you finally made a move on Sara."  
  
"Actually, it was pretty mutual, Greg." Sara answered for them both as she leaned into Nick who slid his arm around her waist.  
  
Warrick breezed into the break room. "Oh, the slackers are back from vacation."  
  
"Nice to see you too, man." Nick quipped with a chuckle.  
  
Warrick stopped for a moment and noted Sara's proximity to Nick. A smile began to tug at the corners of his mouth and he began to laugh. "Looks like you two had a good time."  
  
Sara just sipped her coffee and tried to restrain her smile. "We had a great time."  
  
"I told you I was fun." Nick quipped.  
  
Warrick let out a low chuckle.  
  
Greg glanced over at him. "They're dating."  
  
Warrick glanced at Greg. "I figured."  
  
Grissom walked into the break room intent on the files in his hands. He glanced up quizzically. "Where's Catherine?"  
  
"She's in Trace, she was just checking on something she left with Anisha." Greg answered with a wide grin.  
  
Grissom rolled his eyes.  
  
"Hey, everybody." Catherine walked in and smiled as she noticed Nick's arm around Sara's waist and their stupid grins. "I see vacation agreed with you two."  
  
Grissom glanced up with a coy smile. "Now that we've established that Nick and Sara are dating, can we get on with the briefing?" 


End file.
